Tour de France Grand Depart 2014

The 101th Tour de France runs from Saturday 5 July to Sunday 27 July 2014, covering a total distance of 3,664 kilometres. There are going to be:

9 flat stages - 3 of which are in the UK

5 hill stages

6 mountain stages with 5 altitude finishes

1 individual time trial at the penultimate stage

2 rest days

The first three stage of 2014 Tour de France will take place in England, starting in Leeds, before the first two stages are completed in Yorkshire before the final UK stage sees cyclists start in Cambridge and finish at The Mall in London. After starting in the United Kingdom for the 20th Grand Départ abroad, the Tour de France will continue through Belgium and Spain.

The weather will play a major role as the riders cross the UK, keep an eye on the forecast for each of the stages if you are going to cheer on the riders.

Forecast

Stage 1

The Grand Depart on 5 July sees the Tour de France start in Leeds with cyclists setting off at 11.10.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince Harry, will attend the Grand Depart in West Yorkshire to see off the 22 cycling squads as they start their 3,656 km Tour.

Cycling north in to the Yorkshire Dales, the cyclists are expected to reach Upper Wharfedale at approximately 13.10 where the terrain will get steeper as they ride a semi-circular route across the valleys.

68.5 km in to the first stage the cyclists will face the Côte de Cray, the first of three categorised climbs in this first stage. The second climb comes at challenging Côte de Buttertubs at around 14.30, then the third climb at Côte de Grinton Moor roughly half an hour later.

After approximately an hour and a half more riding, the cyclist will ride in to Harrogate, the final destination for Stage 1 at around 16.20. After the straight line finish on the Harrogate Park, the first rider to wear the famous Tour de France yellow jersey will be announced.

Stage 2

A stage town for the first time, the Tour de France cyclists will set off from York on 6 July for the 201 km second stage.

The peleton will leave York racecourse at around 11.00, before taking to York's historic streets as they cycle towards a 11.20 start at the edge of the city where the racing will begin.

Cycling west towards Harrogate, the first hour of the second stage is relatively flat. However after 47 km the cyclists will face the first climb of nine categorised climbs on their journey from York to Sheffield, Côte de Blubberhouses.

Half an hour after the first climb of the second stage, the cyclists will face their first intermediate 6 km sprint in Keighly, with points available in the Green Jersey competition.

After sprinting in West Yorkshire, the peleton continues south passing through Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Derbyshire before reaching South Yorkshire for the final four climbs in the second stage: Côte de Midhopestones, Côte de Bradfield, Côte d'Oughtibridge and Côte de Jenkin Road .

After approximately 5 hours of cycling the riders will reach Sheffield, where the finishing straight on the A6178 Attercliffe Common will lead them to the finish line in Carbrook.

Stage 3

On 7 July, the Tour de France riders will start the final UK stage, the third stage, racing 155 km from Cambridge to London.

One of the shorter stages, it is also mainly flat with no recognised climbs, meaning it should be a fairly easy stage for the cyclists.

Starting on Gonville Place at 12.25, the cyclists will pass several of the University of Cambridge's prestigious colleges, along with the Round Church, before heading out of Cambridge towards Trumpington.

Continuing south the peloton leaves Cambridgeshire and enters Essex at approximately 12.45, first visiting Great Chesterford with 140 km left to cycle before the finish in London.

Two hours later the cyclist reach the highest point in this third stage, Epping Forest at 108 m above sea level, where they will complete a 4.5 km sprint, before entering London at around 14.00.

The peloton will then race alongside the Olympic Park and London's most iconic landmarks travelling from the East to West End, before finishing opposite Buckingham Palace at approximately 15.45. Most are expecting a mass sprint finish along The Mall, with Mark Cavendish expected to make his presence known on this final stretch in this third stage.